A student combines two liquids in a beaker. She observes that the mass of the combined liquid is less than the mass of the two separate liquids. The student claims that this observation shows that matter is not conserved in chemical reactions. Which statement explains why the student's claim is incorrect? (1 point)
O The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.
O The reaction did not change the physical properties of the liquids.
O The combined liquid was warmer than the two separate liquids.
O The product contained fewer atoms than the reactants.
The correct statement that explains why the student's claim is incorrect is:
O The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.
The correct statement that explains why the student's claim is incorrect is:
O The reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker.
To determine the correctness of the student's claim, we need to consider the law of conservation of mass, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction – it is simply rearranged. If the mass of the combined liquid is less than the mass of the two separate liquids, it suggests that there is something unaccounted for.
In this case, the statement that the reaction produced a gas that escaped the beaker addresses this concern. When a gas is produced during a chemical reaction, it can escape into the surrounding environment, leading to a decrease in the total mass observed. Therefore, matter is indeed conserved, but the loss of mass can be attributed to the escape of gas.
It is essential to consider all possible factors that may affect the mass and not jump to conclusions about the violation of the conservation of matter in chemical reactions.